If you did some internships at Goldman Sachs over the summer and thus have capital then an Ohio City duplex might be more to your liking.I'm house hacking my second duplex currently and it has been a great stepping stone for learning how to maintain a house and manage tenants.

(This is proposed in initial conversation with seller, same as proposed price.) ( I am assuming this is a balloon payment)I currently don't have money for the DP of 10-15% but I have enough cash reserves to acquire this and maintain my other properties.Property is in sellers market. 

How do you spur people to move to your city when it looks like a dump and you can't maintain safety.

This is a Boise, ID area four plex, built in 2004, very low vacancy and well maintained.

I obviously keep the grass well maintained and sidewalks clean but would some mulch and flowers beds be worth it or just another thing to maintain and not worth my time?

You also get the wonderful tax benefits of maintaining your 1031 exchange and depreciation against yield along the way.  

I am required to maintain the unit as unrented and available for me for one year.

Most Security systems only maintain footage for 2 weeks due to camera memory capacity.I.

Maintain separate books, and do not mix accounting and expenses with personal dealings. an improperly established LLC that is not conducting business appropriately will not last one minute in court with a good attorney. 

Maintain and keep them in good conditions.